Mail-bag deliverer.



O. HOWARD.

MAIL BAG DBLIVEREB. APPLICATION nun nn.e,1o1o.

974,489, Patented Now-1, 1910.

WITNESSES: M 'lNVENT'OR wman m. 4 a /x N 045w?" ATTORNEY 1m; mamas PF rcn: cm, WAsHlrmrnN, u. c.

ORVILLE HOWARD, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

MAIL-BAG DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application filed April 9, 1910. Serial No. 554,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORVILLE l-lownm), a citizen of the United States, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Deliverers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mail bag deliverers designed to facilitate the delivery of mail pouches, sacks and the like from rapidly moving trains to a suitable hanger provided for the purpose at a way station.

The objects of the improvement are, first, to provide means operated from within the mail car, whereby the mail clerk can readily attach the .sack to the delivering device while the train is under motion, and means provided at the station for quickly detaching the mail sack from the delivering device and swinging the sack away from the train and bringing it gradually to rest, without damage to the mail sack or its fastenings, and without liability of the sack being thrown against the train or under the wheels.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the car with my improved mail bag deliverer attached, also showing by dotted lines the position of the device when not in use, Fig. 2 is a partial top plan View of the car and the mail bag deliverer, Fig. 3 is a detail of the ring by which the sack is suspended, and Figs. t and 5 are details of the arms attached to the car.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the device consists in a pair of arms 1, 1, pivotally mounted on the side of the mail car so as to swing in a vertical plane, assuming a horizontal position as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, or a vertical position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, together with a suitable receiving arm or hook 10 located at the way station and adapted to detach the sack from the arms 1, 1, and to bring itgradually to rest as the train passes.

A spring 2 is adapted to normally force the arms 1, l apart, being held in place by suitable lugs 3 provided on the arms 1, 1 the normal position of the arms being that shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The arms 1, l are carried by the pivot 4, which passes through the wall of the car, and is provided inside the car with a crank or handle 5 by which the arms 1, 1 may be turned either to the position shown by the full lines in Fig. 1, or to the raised position shown by dotted lines. At their outer ends, the arms l, l are provided with notches 6 adapted to receive a ring 7 from which the mail sack is suspended. The ring 7 is provided with lugs 7 adapted to bear against the arms 1, 1, and hold the ring in place while the mail sack is suspended from the arms, so that approximately two-thirds of the diameter as 7 of ring 7 projects beyond the vertical plane of the arms.

At the station is provided a hollow post 8, within which is swiveled a revoluble post 9, having a horizontal radial arm 9. At the extremity of arm 9 and approximately at right angles thereto is a downwardly curved arm 10 of considerable length, say 20 feet or more, the extremity 10 of which is upwardly curved and adapted to enter the ring 7 as the train passes. The upwardly curved part 10 of the arm 10 has a lug or hook 10 to form a stop for the ring 7 if the speed of the train is sufiiciently great to force the sack 12 and ring 7 up to the top of the curved part 10". A second sto 10 prevents the sack from sliding back town the arm 10. To lock the post 9 in position relative to the post 8, a suitable pin 11 is provided. This pin passes through flanges 9 and 8. By removing pin 11 and swin ing the arm 10 back, the deliverer is ma e to clear the track by several feet so as to form no obstruction to the passage of trains.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention,

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a mail bag deliverer, the combination With a pair of spring-pressed arms pivotally 5 mounted on the outside of the car, of a ring adapted to be secured to a mail sack and having lugs adapted to engage the extremity of said spring-pressed arms, together With a stationary post and a swinging arm se- 10 cured thereto, said arm provided with an,

upwardly curved member adapted to enter said ring, and a stop carried at the upper extremity of said curved member, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 1-5- in presence of two Witnesses.

ORVILLE HOWARD. i/Vitnesses NELLIE M. ANGUS, CHRISTINE A. BRAIDEL. 

